Had I not This, or This, I said,
Appealing to Myself,
In moment of prosperity —
Inadequate — were Life —

“Thou hast not Me, nor Me” — it said,
In Moment of Reverse —
“And yet Thou art industrious —
No need — hadst Thou — of us”?

My need — was all I had — I said —
The need did not reduce —
Because the food — exterminate —
The hunger — does not cease —

But diligence — is sharper —
Proportioned to the Chance —
To feed upon the Retrograde —
Enfeebles — the Advance —

Analysis, meaning and summary of Emily Dickinson's poem Had I not This, or This, I said,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Do you have any comments, criticism, paraphrasis or analysis of this poem that you feel would assist other visitors in understanding the meaning or the theme of this poem by Emily Dickinson better? If accepted, your analysis will be added to this page of American Poems. Together we can build a wealth of information, but it will take some discipline and determination.